Dog with lymphoma and necessary travel

February 5, 2024 6:58 AM

You had a dog with lymphoma which you decided not to treat with chemo. What was the result?

My old man (just turned 13) was recently diagnosed with stage 5B lymphoma, which I have decided to treat palliatively with prednisone and pain medication. Unfortunately, I have a requirement to make a trip out of the country by early July. When I got the diagnosis I moved my trip up to next weekend but now I am having second thoughts. He's currently doing okay, basically acting like himself, but I think there's some nighttime confusion/sundowning going on--he peed in the house last night and he has not done that since he was a puppy. He was also vomiting last week but that seems to have resolved for right now. Otherwise his appetite is good, he is still playful, seems comfortable/not in pain, all that good stuff.

But I know this cancer is pretty fast plus I don't really want to lose a week with him towards the end of his life. I'm honestly thinking he's going to be gone by March but it's hard for me to believe right now since he's doing pretty okay.

So in your experience with the length of time from diagnosis to passing, am I fairly safe in making the decision to delay the trip until he's gone? My fear is that I'm going to delay it and he's going to be hanging on until June and then I really will have put myself in a bind.

posted by rhymedirective to Pets & Animals (9 answers total)

We did the same, prednisone and pain medicine. We had a trip booked to Ireland, so it was enough to get him through that, and he was gone August long weekend. About 3 months from diagnosis. We did let him go after finding him stuck on the landing, in his own pee.

I'd leave the trip in July, and spend the time with him now.
posted by Ftsqg at 7:14 AM on February 5

Lymphoma can take them fast, sometimes even with treatment. One family member's (youngish) dog was gone in something like four months with chemo. With only palliative treatment, you'd expect it to be faster. Of course, it's impossible to predict.

I'd really want to wait and enjoy what good time he has left with him. However. If he's still with you in July, you probably won't be able to board him or get him a sitter. Do you have a very good friend or close family member who loves him dearly, too, and is capable of taking on the challenge of caring for a dying dog at that time? If not, and if you truly must make this trip (e.g., for immigration reasons), then you have to go now.

Whatever choice you make, and whatever happens, remember that you're making this decision now with his best interests at heart but with limited information. Don't reproach yourself afterwards if your prediction proves incorrect. You won't need to add to your sorrow.
posted by praemunire at 7:32 AM on February 5

We did the same treatment - and maybe 8 days before the dx she "peed" in her sleep on me, but it was totally clear with no smell (which I might have missed if I hadn't had the white sheets on the bed - it was truly colorless, just anecdata). And in the maybe 3ish weeks leading up to that she had one really bad day where I knew she didn't feel well and I had a bad gut feeling, but she was mostly normal the next day. She was off, just the tiniest bit.

We went out of town for 5 days before we went to the vet and the stress, maybe, we came home and her neck was obviously swollen. Our vet was the local e-vet and when she walked in the room she blurted "that's lymphoma" before saying hello.

There were perkier days, ish, but within two weeks I was feeding her baby food mixed with canned to get her to eat. She wouldn't sleep with us, or in our room, and I ended up having to leave the sliding glass door open all night so she could get out. I probably should have made the call then.

The vet told me "it could be two months" after I leaned heavily on her to estimate, and I knew she was giving me the very nicest version of the truth. It was 4 weeks almost to the day. Our other dog died unexpectedly the week before, no idea if that too was stress that accelerated anything, but we already knew it wasn't going to be anything like 2 months. Diagnosis was Feb 13 and euthanasia was Mar 16.

I would put the trip back to July. If somehow she still has reasonable QOL in May you can reassess, but I just don't think that's going to be a decision you'll have to make. I am so so sorry.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:07 AM on February 5

We didn't move the trip up, and did home euthanasia before the trip. At the time I felt absolutely horrible and like it was a decision pushed forward because of the travel plans. 6 months later (and now, 4 years later) I realized we still waited too long to make that call, and my only guilt is about not calling it sooner. But it was all so fast.

I'd move the trip back to July.
posted by deludingmyself at 8:26 AM on February 5

It was about 2 months and while I wasn't home for most of it (college; he passed while driving home for spring break) and so cannot speak to the day-to-day, I do want to share this pet quality of life scale I was given towards end of life for another pet.

(FWIW, my family's take is the animal's person chooses when the animal goes. My sister regrets that she let him go too long.)

Also keep in mind that prednisone does make them have to pee more, which may have something to do with the nighttime pee.

(I would move the trip back to June/July.)
posted by smangosbubbles at 9:24 AM on February 5

I almost said something but deludingmyself said it exactly right: whatever euthanasia call you make (or heavens forbid don't get a CHANCE to make because the odds on that being peaceful are low, unfortunately), you will almost certainly experience hindsight that you waited too long.

Because a terminally ill pet is absolutely an exercise in frog-boiling. You will find yourself justifying the extraordinary effort to get calories in them, manage incontinence, deal with their stoicism in the face of so much pain before they really show it. You'll wake up in the morning thinking "hey, that was a pretty good night!" because you only had to get up 3 times. I have so much guilt over waiting a month too long, two weeks too long, months too long. I should have given Sophie One Amazing Week after her diagnosis, but it was my birthday and we were in shock. She wasn't going to get better. I rolled the dice on it not being totally terrible.

So don't think anybody's saying "well, just get rid of your dog so it doesn't ruin your trip", we're just saying "exercise the control you have while you have it, because it slips away before you know it, and that's a humane decision."
posted by Lyn Never at 9:29 AM on February 5

Prednisone not only increases the amount of urine a dog produces but can also cause incontinence. When mine was on it during heartworm treatments, he would sometimes walk around with a full on steam of pee coming out, completely unaware that he was doing it.
posted by Candleman at 11:31 AM on February 5

My rule of thumb is "better a week too early than a day too late." I'm so sorry about your buddy.
posted by kate4914 at 11:59 AM on February 5

I canceled the trip--thanks everyone. I figure the odds he's going to be doing well in late June are basically nil and the chance he's going to still be alive in late June are also basically nil, so either way, I can take my required trip before the deadline AND do right by my dog.
posted by rhymedirective at 12:05 PM on February 5